As an aside - it's really tiresome having to correct everything you say:
"Stakeholder schmakeholder.
Austin doesn't have near the influence you would like."
Austin does have influence because TxDOT needs funding and Austin will bring money to the table.
"Perhaps even more importantly the city council is no longer representative of only the downtown contingent."
This is true- but doesn't mean Austin shouldn't be fighting for what is right.
"The connectedness of east and west and the cap - for what "community space" ?
I can't parse this out - try again.
"Ha. The "divide" you refer to is a racial and economic divide and it isn't an "east/west" divide."
I-35 is a cultural, economic, social, racial and physical barrier. It is a divide in every sense of the word.
"Certainly you can tell that from the gentrification (i.e., wiping out the residents that historically lived there). If you want to "heal" the problems you should first start with the Austin police department, not the interstate freeway."
I never claimed I-35 was the only cause of division in Austin - just one of the most significant.
"No more than any street is a "barrier" to cross."
That's just nonsense - not sure how you can't see a grade separated freeway as being the same a street: This is 5th and I-35.
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2650...lUdIVDfi5g!2e0
Now 5th at Lamar:
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2703...WaBNFcpzyA!2e0
See how one's a barrier and the other an intersection?
" I-35 is north and south and there are numerous roads which cross it. Of course you aren't interested in "connecting" anywhere other than "downtown" despite this "divide"."
See above.
"It isn't divided and your "connecting" argument starts off with the presumption of a division."
See above.
"Your "core" argument is silly and discriminatory. The "core" doesn't deserve any special treatment."
The core functions very differently from the auto dependent suburbs.
"Anyone driving downtown can see what an absurd nightmare the [former] city council set up. Unusual and inconsistent street markings and colors does nothing but create more distractions on the road and less certainty about whether a driver is where they are supposed to be. Add the never-ending construction and elimination or "temporary off limits" of a large number of parking meters and lack of parking and you have a disaster of a downtown. Promoting more of the same isn't an improvement. Downtown Austin is nothing to be proud of."
Please stay away - we like it the way it is.
"If you don't like the examples, it isn't difficult to find others. You did not exactly define what you deemed to be a barrier."
See above.
"Hwy 71/Ben White is not "at grade"."
No kidding - I never said it was.
"I suppose you want to eliminate Hwy 71 because it "divides" north southeast Austin from south southeast Austin?"
Highway 71 goes through a an already auto dependent area of the city. Not much can be done there to fix it.
"Or would you prefer recognizing a division of south south Austin from north south Austin?"
It is a barrier between the two and in an ideal world would go away. But that area of town is already 100% auto dependent and unlike the core won't be helped much by burying the freeway - you'd have to do a lot more densification, mixing of uses before you can talk about burying the freeway.